The Win-Win

I was away this weekend on vacation with my children along with another family and their children. In total, 4 kids. Fun times.

In planning out the days and the activities, there was not always 100% agreement. In fact, in most circumstances, it was just not possible. Kids ages were 6, 10, 11 and 13. Boys and girls. Hence the challenges. 

This got me thinking about the term “win-win.” I’ve heard this term often. In fact, I, myself, have used “win-win” to describe outcomes I am trying to achieve.

What Does “Win-Win” Really Mean?

Thinking through it… like with all the kids this weekend, it’s often difficult to truly achieve a win-win, because different people have different ideas on what winning looks like for them depending on the situation.

I have often tried to chase the elusive win-win, and I’ve found myself going in circles too many times. Why?

The Truth Of The Matter Is: A Real Win-Win For All Parties Is Usually Difficult To Achieve.

So what should we aim for?

The Real Win-Win Is Achieved By Doing The Best You Can Given The Facts And Circumstances You Are Dealing With.

We should try to find balance in each situation.

And this is exactly how most of the situations/ challenges I dealt with this weekend were resolved. We would do one activity that would please some of the kids with the understanding that there would be another activity that would follow that would please the others. Not everyone was happy with every activity but we had achieved balance and that was great. 

Chasing the win-win can result in wasting a lot of time and energy, because a win-win is not always achievable. Instead, it is better to strive to achieve a balanced approach, where a majority of those involved feel good.

Often, Achieving Balance Is The Best And Only Path Forward.

Leadership is frequently defined as the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal. As you lead, it is likely that you cannot make everyone happy all of the time. As good leaders, we need to recognize this to be fact and to try to achieve balance.

Within A Place Of Balance, We Can Look For The Win-Win, Maybe Not Right Away For All The Parties, But Rather For The Majority Of Those Involved

As we move forward with a goal of finding balance over a win-win for all, it is likely we will shorten our processes for coming to a decision, because our desired end results and outcomes should become clear within a more expedited fashion.